The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate Chapter 138

Athena

The drive to work was comfortable. We didn't talk much but it wasn't awkward. Just two people who'd learned to be at ease in each other's presence.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I saw Orion's truck already there.

"He beat us again," Tristan said.

"He always does," I replied.

We walked into the building together and went our separate ways to our offices. Mine was between Tristan's and the conference room, close enough that I could slip away to see him when I needed to.

I'd barely settled at my desk when the familiar warmth started building again. I tried to focus on the invoices in front of me, but my mind kept drifting to Tristan down the hall.

I lasted maybe thirty minutes before I gave up and headed to his office.

I knocked once and let myself in, closing the door behind me.

Tristan looked up from his computer, and a slow smile spread across his face. "That was faster than yesterday."

"Shut up," I said, but I was smiling too as I walked over to him.

He pushed his chair back from the desk and I climbed onto his lap, straddling him. His hands went to my hips automatically.

"You know Orion is going to figure out what we're doing if you keep disappearing into my office," he said, even as he was already pulling me closer.

"Orion already knows we're together," I pointed out. "He can think what he wants."

"Fair enough," he said, and then he was kissing me.

We tried to keep it quick, we really did. But one kiss led to another and soon clothes were being adjusted and I was moving against him, both of us trying to stay quiet.

Afterwards, I rested my forehead against his, both of us breathing hard.

"We really need to get better at this," I said.

"At what? The sex? I think we're pretty good at it," he teased.

I smacked his shoulder. "At being professional at work."

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked, but he was already helping me fix my clothes.

I climbed off his lap and checked my reflection in the window, making sure I looked presentable. "I should get back to my office."

"You just got here," he protested.

"And I'll be back in a few hours," I said. "Probably."

He groaned but let me go.

I slipped out of his office and headed back to mine, feeling more settled. The heat was still there, simmering under my skin, but it was manageable now.

Around lunchtime, there was a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called.

Orion walked in carrying two bags from the deli down the street. "Figured you might be hungry. So I decided to beat Tristan to it." A smile escaped my face.

Of course he did.

"Starving actually," I said, clearing space on my desk. "Thanks."

He sat down across from me and handed me one of the bags. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good," I said, pulling out a sandwich. "Why?"

"Just checking in," he said. "You seemed off earlier this week."

I took a bite of my sandwich to buy myself time. Orion could read me better than anyone except maybe Tristan now.

"I'm fine," I said. "Just been adjusting to some changes."

"Good changes?" he asked.

I smiled. "Yeah. Really good changes."

He studied me for a moment, then nodded. "That's all I needed to know."

We ate in comfortable silence for a while, and I was grateful he didn't push. That was the thing about Orion. He knew when to ask questions and when to just be there.

"Sarah wants to have you guys over for dinner soon," he said after a while. "She's been bugging me about it all week."

"That sounds nice," I said. "When were you thinking?"

"Whenever works for you," he said. "She's flexible."

I thought about the baby news we were keeping secret. We needed to tell them soon. Keeping this from my brother felt wrong.

"Actually," I said slowly. "What if we hosted instead? This weekend maybe?"

Orion raised an eyebrow. "You want to host?"

"Yeah," I said. "I mean, Tristan and I. At his place."

A knowing smile crossed Orion's face. "You've been staying there a lot lately."

"I have," I admitted. There was no point in hiding it. "It just feels right, you know?"

"I'm glad," he said simply. "You deserve to be happy, little sister."

My throat felt tight. "Thanks, Ori."

He reached across the desk and squeezed my hand. "Saturday work for you?"

"Saturday's perfect," I said.

After Orion left, I sat there for a moment, thinking about how we'd tell them. It had to be right. This was big news, life changing news, and I wanted them to be there when we shared it.

The afternoon passed slowly. I made another trip to Tristan's office around three, unable to help myself. He was on a call when I walked in, so I just settled on the small couch in the corner and waited.

He wrapped up the call quickly and came over to sit beside me.

"Miss me?" he asked.

"Always," I said, leaning into him.

We sat there for a while, just being close. It was nice not having to talk all the time, to just exist in each other's space.

"I invited Orion and Sarah over for Saturday," I said eventually. "To our place."

"Our place," he repeated, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too," I said. "I was thinking that's when we could tell them. About the baby."

He pulled back to look at me. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "I can't keep it from Orion much longer. And Sarah deserves to know too."

"What about Derek?" he asked. "Should we invite him?"

I thought about it. Derek had been a good friend through everything with Seraphine and Daxon. He deserved to be included.

"Let's invite him," I said. "He's part of our lives now."

Tristan nodded and pulled out his phone. "I'll text them now. Need to send an official invite." Yep I get.

I watched as he typed out the messages, feeling nervous and excited at the same time. By this time next week, people would know. Our secret would be out.

"Done," he said, setting his phone down. "Now we just wait for responses."

His phone buzzed almost immediately. Then again.

"Orion says yes," Tristan said, reading the messages. "Sarah too. She's excited. Derek says he'll be there."

I'm sure Orion would have told Sarah.

"Good," I said. "That's good."

We sat there for another few minutes before I forced myself to get up. "I should actually do some work today."

"Probably a good idea," he agreed. "Though I'm not complaining about the interruptions."

I kissed him once more and headed back to my office, my mind already planning for Saturday.

The rest of the week passed in a strange blur. The symptoms Mara had described continued to ease, though I still found myself seeking out Tristan more often than not. But it was manageable now, and I could actually focus on work for longer stretches.

I also noticed other changes. My breasts were tender and I was tired all the time. Small things that I might not have noticed before but now seemed significant.

Tristan was hovering constantly. Not in an annoying way, but in a way that showed how much he cared. He made sure I ate lunch, that I wasn't lifting anything heavy, that I took breaks when I looked tired.

On Wednesday, I was carrying a box of files back to my office when he practically materialized out of nowhere.

"Let me take that," he said, reaching for the box.

"Tristan, it's not heavy," I protested.

"Doesn't matter," he said, already taking it from my hands. "Where are you going with this?"

"My office," I said, exasperated. "Which is literally right there."

He carried it the twenty feet to my office anyway and set it on my desk. "There."

"You're being ridiculous," I said.

"I'm being careful," he corrected. "There's a difference."

I wanted to argue, but the look on his face stopped me. He was scared, I realized. Scared that something would happen to me or the baby.

"Okay," I said softly. "Thank you for carrying the box."

He relaxed slightly. "You're welcome."

Thursday evening, we went shopping for the dinner on Saturday. Tristan pushed the cart while I picked out ingredients.

"What do kids eat?" I asked, looking at Sarah's text that said they were bringing the children.

"I don't know..." I raised my head towards Tristan who's eyes are locked on me. "Should we get normal food? We ate normal food growing up."

"We should get what they like and I know I know what. Let's go" he said going over and picking what he said was Lily's and Liam best meal.

And I couldn't help but love him more that instant, he knew what they love eating.

Our kid would be lucky to have a father like him.

We also picked up sparkling cider so I'd have something to drink that looked festive. Tristan was thinking of everything.

That night, as we were getting ready for bed, I felt nauseous for the first time. I made it to the bathroom just in time.

Tristan was right there, holding my hair back and rubbing my back.

"Morning sickness," he said when I'd finished. "Though I guess it can happen at night too."

"This is awful," I groaned.

It wasn't like this the last time. Though Daxon didn't let the baby live up to this moment.

"I know, baby," he said sympathetically. "But it's normal. It means everything is progressing like it should."

I wanted to argue that nothing about throwing up felt normal, but he had a point.

Friday morning, the nausea hit again. I barely made it out of bed before I was sick.

"Maybe we should cancel tomorrow," Tristan said, worry etched on his face.

"No," I said firmly. "I'll be fine by tomorrow. This is just morning sickness."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure," I said. "We need to tell them, Tristan. I can't keep this secret any longer."

He nodded slowly. "Okay. But if you're not feeling well tomorrow, we're rescheduling."

"Deal," I agreed.

Friday at work, I spent more time in Tristan's office than my own. The need was almost completely gone now, replaced by a different kind of need. The need to be close to him, to feel his presence, to know he was there.

"You're going to give Orion a heart attack if you keep this up," Tristan said when I showed up for the third time that afternoon.

"He'll survive," I said, settling onto his lap even though we weren't doing anything sexual. I just wanted to be close.

He wrapped his arms around me and we sat like that for a while, his hand resting on my still flat stomach.

"I can't wait to tell them," he said quietly. "I want everyone to know you're carrying my baby."

"Soon," I promised. "Very soon."

Saturday morning, I woke up feeling better than I had all week. No nausea, no overwhelming fatigue. Just normal tiredness and excitement.

We spent the morning cleaning and preparing food. Tristan did most of the heavy work while I directed and helped where I could.

"You know they're not going to care if the house is spotless," I said as he vacuumed for the third time.

"I know," he said. "But I want everything to be perfect."

"It will be," I assured him. "It already is."

By two o'clock, everything was ready. The house looked welcoming, the food smelled delicious, and I was a bundle of nerves.

"What if something goes wrong?" I asked Tristan as we waited. "What if they're not happy?"

He pulled me into his arms. "They're going to be thrilled. Orion is going to be an uncle. Sarah will probably cry happy tears. And Derek will make some sarcastic comment before being genuinely happy for us."

I laughed despite my nerves. "You're probably right."

"I'm definitely right," he said, kissing the top of my head.

The doorbell rang at exactly three o'clock.

"Ready?" Tristan asked, taking my hand.

"Ready," I said.